The Tenaska Generating Station is located in South Huntingdon Township, just behind the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival. This 940-megawatt combined cycle power plant makes electricity using both a gas turbine and steam turbine.
Identified by PennEnvironment as one of Pennsylvania’s top twelve polluters, Tenaska qualifies as a “major source of air pollutants.” (I.e. the facility’s emissions exceed yearly EPA thresholds.) Under the Clean Air Act, major sources are required to obtain a Title V Operating Permit.
What’s a Title V Permit?
Title V Permits are legally enforceable documents designed to improve compliance by clarifying what facilities must do to control air pollution. They help keep facilities in compliance with protective regulations, more robust oversight, and a stricter monitoring plan to help keep surrounding communities and the environment safe.
But Tenaska has been operating without a Title V permit since it opened. The facility has been using extensions of their initial plan approval and temporary permits granted by DEP to continue operation, raising concerns about potential enforcement issues and compliance monitoring gaps. In the summer of 2024, Tenaska started the Title V acquisition process after more than six years of operation. With this long-overdue application comes the opportunity for public comment.
Community Meeting 2/26/25, 6:30 pm
In collaboration with Environmental Integrity Project, Environmental Health Project, and Yough Communities Care, MWA will host a series of community meetings to help nearby communities prepare for the public comment period. We anticipate it to start in June or July, 2025.
The first in our series will focus on the Title V permitting process and will take place on February 26, 2025 at 6:30 PM at the Turkeytown Volunteer Fire Department.
A meal will be provided, as well as information packets and handouts that you can reference and share throughout your community.
At this informational session, we’ll provide details on:
- The Title V permitting process and what Title V guarantees
- Information and history on Tenaska’s current permits
- Our concerns about Tenaska’s Title V draft
- How you can participate
- And any questions you might have
If you live in West Newton, Smithton, Wyano, or any other communities in proximity to Tenaska, come out to learn more about your rights under the Clean Air Act and how you can advocate for more stringent protections for you and your neighbors! Community voices are extremely important in the permitting process, so we hope to see you there!
Other ways to get involved:
- Report complaints about the facility to PA DEP promptly. You can do this either by phone (866-255-5158) or online at www.pa.dep.gov.
- You can report odors (this facility is not allowed to produce any smells outside of its property), and you can also report emissions (visible pollution, emissions into the air, such as smoke, dust, or other pollution coming from the facility).
- Host a PurpleAir monitor. Reach out to Em Hough (em@mtwatershed.com) to see if your property would be a good fit!
- Keep a written, dated record of things you notice about the facility.
- Sign up for updates and attend community meetings to learn more about how you can be engaged in the public comment process and learn more about concerns related to this facility
- Attend your township supervisor meetings to voice your concerns about the facility; request stricter regulations on this power plant!
Finally, please keep in touch! Sign up for MWA’s monthly email newsletter, and reach out to MWA’s community organizer, Em Hough, to get Tenaska-specific updates!